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Zip wires in Lake District a threat to our pilots, says MoD

Jerome Starkey, Countryside Correspondent

January 19 2018, 5:00pm, The Times

Conservationists say that metal cables strung across the reservoir would scar one of England’s most beautiful landscapesAlamy

Plans to run zip wires over the Thirlmere reservoir in the Lake District National Park would threaten fighter pilots who use the skies above the park to practise low-level flying, the Ministry of Defence has said.

Supporters said zip wires would create 53 jobs and add £600,000 a year to the economy by attracting tourists all year round. It would be the highest and longest zip wire in the UK if approved by the national park authority, but the scheme has faced stiff opposition from conservationists including Natural England and the National Trust.

The MoD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) said in a letter to the Lake District National Park Authority this week that the cables would jeopardise an essential part of training for helicopter and…

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